Stamford Rookie Legion Looks to State Its Case

STAMFORD, Conn. – A four-game losing streak near the end of the postseason may have been the best alarm clock for the Stamford American Legion Rookie baseball team. It startled the young ballplayers, who responded with a four-game winning streak entering the state tournament, which begins Thursday.

"After that losing streak, we took a few days off and we talked about what our goals were for the state tournament and how we were going to achieve them,'' manager Frank Spoto said. "I asked them to win four games for us to end the season. They might have been the best four games we played all season."

Spoto believes Stamford (28-6) could be one of the teams fighting for a berth in the New England Region tournament when the state competition concludes Sunday. The New England winner advances to the World Series in Arizona. Stamford opens Thursday vs. Waterbury.

The Rookie team is comprised of 14-and-under players, most of whom played in Little League last year. Stamford's roster includes players who helped North Stamford win the District 1 title last year, including John Spoto, Peter Horn, Kevin Stone, Jeremy Benjamin, Connor Matheny, Eddie Meizels, Luke Dawson and Stefan Uka. The other members of the team are Cameron Greig, Shawn Urbano, Isaiah Ramon, Mike Nunziante, Joe DePreta, James Gronberg, Jalen Brown, Gianni Carpanzano, Randy Polonia and Ryan Lee. Tommy Dolan and Brian Cooper assist Spoto.

The team's strength is its pitching staff, anchored by Dawson, Stone, Horn, Brown and Gronberg. "Our pitching staff is one of our stronger points, but all facets are pretty strong,'' said Spoto, an assistant to Doug Horn on the North Stamford Little League team last year. "We have a pretty good mix of everything."

Teams from Trumbull, Meriden, Westport and Southington will be among the teams competing this weekend. Spoto believes his pitching depth gives Stamford a legitimate chance to win the tournament.

"It will be a difficult go, but I like my chances,'' Spoto said. "They came together when they had to come together. The best thing about this is they don't quit. They'll do what's necessary to win a game."

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